IPCF awards grants to 21 local
nonprofit programs
Heartland College and Lincoln Salvation
Army among recipients
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[January 09, 2024]
Twenty-one
local nonprofit programs have been awarded a total of $105,760 in
grants through the Women to Women Giving Circle, Youth Engaged in
Philanthropy (YEP) cohort and new Environment & Nature Grants at the
Illinois Prairie Community Foundation.
Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, a continuing stream
of funding has allowed the community foundation to create an
independent grant cycle for environmental programs. Previously,
environment-focused grants were offered as part of the General
Grants application in the spring.
“It has long been a goal of Illinois Prairie Community Foundation to
play a larger role in helping local nonprofits working in the
environmental sector. This generous gift allows IPCF to do just
that,” said Greg Meyer, Illinois Prairie Community Foundation
executive director.
Recipient organizations sharing $38,775 in Environment & Nature
awards are:
· Bloom Community School – $1,355 for “Bloom Community School
and Refuge Food Forest” in which students will actively develop an
outreach program about the food forest to members of the surrounding
community; the food forest is adjacent to the school.
· Ecology Action Center – $22,500 for “Emergency
Weatherization Program” to provide supplemental funding for mobile
home residents in need of energy-efficient improvements to their
homes.
· First Baptist Church of Bloomington – $2,000 for “East 5
Acres Pollinator Habitat” to create an environment for pollinator
and wildlife habitats with access for nearby residents.
· Heartland Community College – $2,000 for “Edible Windbreak”
to create an edible windbreak to increase student awareness of
agroforestry, along with farmer and general public awareness.
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· John Wesley Powell Audubon Society – $2,920
for “Native Planting at Ewing Park” to purchase native plant seeds
to spread at Ewing Park where volunteers have cleared invasive
species.
· McLean County Historical Society – $3,300 for “Seeds of
History” to help the museum connect people to local history by
planting and labeling native plants in public places and offering
educational programs.
· ParkLands Foundation – $4,700 for “Volunteer Steward
Supplies” to provide volunteer stewards with supplies used for land
restoration, address storage issues and streamline stewardship for
restoration of 3,600 acres of preserves in Central Illinois.
The Women to Women Giving Circle seeks to improve the lives of women
and children in Central Illinois and focused its grants for 2024 on
programs that break down barriers and challenges for families in
terms of food, housing, transportation and childcare. Since 2011,
the Women to Women Giving Circle has awarded $529,363 in grants. The
mission of the group is to provide education about issues affecting
women and to provide grants to projects and programs aimed at
improving the dignity of women and children in McLean, DeWitt, Logan
and Livingston counties.
Recipient organizations sharing $55,000 in Women to Women awards
are:
· Dreams Are Possible – $18,000 for “Earn While You Learn” to
recognize students’ investment of time and remove a financial
barrier that has often resulted in students dropping out of class.
· Girl Scouts of Central Illinois – $9,000 for “Bridging the
Gap: Direct Assistance for Girl Scouts in DeWitt, Livingston, Logan
and McLean Counties” to fund Girl Scout membership fees, uniform and
campership assistance ensuring equitable access to these supports.
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· Mid Central Community Action – $10,000 for
“Housing Stability Navigator” to ensure the unhoused population are
rehoused by assisting with gap barrier services like housing
application fees, utility arrearages and short-term hotel stays.
· Salvation Army Lincoln 360 Life Center – $5,000
for “Pathway of Hope,” an evidence-based and outcome-drive program
that works with families with children to break generational poverty
in Lincoln.
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· Salvation Army Pontiac 360
Life Center – $5,000 for “Pathway of Hope” that provides
individualized services to families with children who desire to
break the cycle of crisis and vulnerability that repeats
generation after generation in Pontiac.
· YWCA McLean County – $8,000 for “Young Wonders Early
Learning Scholarship Program” to remove childcare financial
barriers such as initial costs to enroll, transportation and
financial crisis/gap funding, and assist survivors of sexual
assault obtain free childcare during counseling and advocacy
appointments.
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Youth Engaged in Philanthropy grants were selected by
15 area high school students and focus on youth-oriented programs
with priority given to organizations that include youth in the
application process. Since 2014, Youth Engaged in Philanthropy has
awarded $110,000. As a part of our community's youth, YEP strives to
connect those who care about youth with the monetary means necessary
to pursue their vision.
Recipient organizations sharing $11,985 Youth Engaged in
Philanthropy awards are:
· Bloomington Public Library – $1,987 for “Author’s Visit
with Children’s Author Natasha Tarpley” to provide District 87’s
Sheridan School students, their families and the Bloomington-Normal
community a visit with children’s author Natasha Tarpley, including
a Q&A session.
· Girl Scouts of Central Illinois – $1,250 for “Girl Scout
Outreach Program – DeWitt County” to encourage well-being and
bolster confidence, communication skills and peer collaboration for
girls in DeWitt County; as girls continue to experience a mental
health crisis, the program creates additional resources for those
most at-risk.
· Jump4Joy Squad – $987 for “2024 Summer Camp” to fund a free
summer camp for youth interested in discovering the joy of
exercising by jumping rope while building relationships with
families.
· Kingsley Junior High School Drama Club – $2,000 for “KJHS
Drama Club” to provide students the opportunity to perform in or
work behind the scenes of a spring show while learning preparedness,
commitment and technical skills and establish positive relationships
with like-minded peers; grant to purchase production equipment.
· McLean County Children’s Advocacy Center - $1,800 for
“Child Safety Matters: A Day at the Zoo,” a one-day event allowing
local children to participate in learning activities and have fun at
Miller Park Zoo, while local social service agencies spread child
abuse awareness and promote prevention throughout the community.
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· Project Oz – $500 for “Confidently Curly” to
teach girls of color to embrace and care for their natural hair;
participants learn about their hair type, how to maintain/style it,
and the history of Black hair, while also building self-confidence
and positive connections.
· Sonshine Daycare - $1,174 for “Internet Installation,
Service and Device” to enable internet connection and service, plus
purchase of an iPad device to use in 2- and 3-year-old classroom,
thereby expanding learning experiences and opportunities.
· Vespasian Warner Public Library - $2,287 for “Kid Corner at
Vespasian Warner Public Library” to create a Kid Corner space for
youth in grades 3-6 that is safe, welcoming and fun; grant to
purchase new seating that can be used for reading, gaming and social
time.
About Illinois Prairie Community Foundation
Illinois Prairie Community Foundation, now in its 26th year,
encourages and facilitates philanthropy in McLean, DeWitt,
Livingston and Logan counties by connecting donors who care with
causes that matter to them. The Foundation currently manages funds
including endowments and donor advised, fiscal sponsorship and
scholarship funds. More information is available at ilprairiecf.org.
[Michele Evans
Grants & Communications Director
Illinois Prairie Community Foundation]
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